Wire-rope-transmission device.



No.'859,670. PATBNTED JULY 9, 1907.

B. Y. KNAPP;

WIRE ROPE TRANSMISSION DEVICE. APPLICATION rmzn JAN. 11, 1007.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- WITNESSES:

IN VENTOR: KY)

ATTOR Ev co, wnsmncrcu. n. c

PATENTED JULY 9, 1907.

E. Y. KNAPP.

WIRHROPE TRANSMISSION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 11. 1907.

2 SHEEN-SHEET 2-.

WITNESSES:

glam 2% W Z22 6 ATT NEY EDWARD YOUNG KNAIP, OF EUREKA, CALIFORNIA.

WIRE-ROPE-TRANSMISSION DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 9, 1907.

A li ation fil d January 11,1907. 8erial No. 351,793.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD YOUNG KNAPP, acitizen of the United States,residing at Eureka, in the county of Humboldt and State of California,have invented new and useful Improvements in Wire-Bope-TransmissionDevices, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to wire rope transmission, and especially of thatclass in which an aerial traveling rope is employed to transmit articleswhich may be temporarily attached to the rope.

It consists of the combination of parts, and in details of constructionwhich will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the transmission.Fig. 2 is a plan ,view of one of the sheave stations. Fig. 3 is asectional view of the sprocket-sheave. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of acarrying hook. Fig. 5 shows a vertical sheave and hook.

For the transmission of materials, such as logs, shingles, bolts andother products, in the woods, it is customary to employ an endlesstraveling cable, with means for changing the direction so that the cablemay be led to the point where the load is obtained and dis charged,provision being made for turning corners and generally changing thedirection of motion of the cable to suit the exigencies of the case. I

In my invention AA represent lengths of cable, each of which may be 100feet more or less. These lengths are united by chain links 2 interposedbetween the contiguous ends of the cable lengths, so that as great alength of cable may be made up as is necessary.

Thus, if at the commencement of the work the material to be transportedis within a short distance of the place of deposit, only a sufficientnumber of these cable lengths will be employed to complete the circuit.As the receiving station is moved farther away, additional lengths maybe inserted until the receiving station is at as great a distance fromthe discharge point as is found necessary.

The cable passes around a sheave as at 3 to which power is applied inany usual or suitable manner to propel the cable.

4 and 5 represent direction pulleys around which the cable is adapted topass; these pulleys being fixed to trees or other natural or artificialsupports so that any change in the direction of travel of the cable maybe made for the purpose of avoiding obstructions, or in order to reachpoints where the material to be moved is located.

In order to support the material I have shown hangers constructed as at6 having a hook or attachment for a rope at the lower end, and at theupper end a short bar 7 which when the hanger is in position, standsvertical. The length of this bar is such that by turning the hanger intoa position parallel with the chain links, the bar may be inserted in thedirection of the length of the opening of the chain link, and whenafterwards allowed to turn into the vertical position it is interlockedwith the link by reason of the shorter transverse diameter of theopening.

The body of the hanger is curved outwardly so as to allow it to clearthe direction pulleys when passing around them, with the hanger on theoutside.

When the hanger passes around an interior curve, it is necessary to makeprovision by which the cable will not be forced off the horizontal guidepulley, and this is effected by means of a sprocket as at 8, thissprocket being formed with teeth which project below the grooved pulleyor sheave over which the cable passes. The points or teeth of thissprocket are adapted to enter or support the chain links so that whilethe hanger is passing around the sheave, the cable will not drop awayfrom the sheave.

The construction of the sheave and sprocket are well shown in thesectional elevation, Fig. 3.

When passing over the vertical supporting sheaves it will be seen thatthe curvature of the shank of the hanger carries it well outside of thesheave or pulley over which the cable is passing.

The supports for the vertically journaled sheaves 9 are fixed in slottedsegments as at 10; the curvature of the segment being sufficient toallow of any desired change of direction so that when the cable passesaround the horizontal sheave 5 it arrives at and departs from thissheave over the direction pulleys 9, and the plane of these pulleys oneach side of the horizontal sheave, is substantially in the line oftravel of the cable to and from the horizontal sheave.

When by any other change of direction, the angles of arrival anddeparture of the cable are changed, the supports for the sheaves 9 maybe changed so that these sheaves will stand in the new line of travel inthe cable. This change is made by loosening holding nuts and bolts as at11, and moving the sheaves in the slotted segment 10 until the new lineof travel is reached when the sheaves are again fixed in place.

The sheaves 8 and 9 and the segment 10 are mounted upon a suitable boardor support as at 14, and this is supported upon a slotted A-shaped frame15 which may be fixed to a conveniently located stump, tree, or otherfixed object.

The frame timbers 15 have longitudinal slots in that the part 14 may bemoved nearer to or farther from the support, and the holes allow thebolts to be moved to suit the diverging slots in the frame 15.

In order to prevent the cable from being forced off the horizontalsheave 5 I have shown a roller 17 carried at the end of a lever arm 18,which arm is fulcrumed to the support 14, as shown at 19, and this leverarm holds the roller 17 normally in such position that when the hangerpassing around the sheave, tends to force the rope away from the sheave,this roller will prevent its dropping off the sheave and the sprocket 8.

The outer end of the lever arm is connected by the flexible rope 20 withthe counterweight 21 so that when the passing hanger has temporarilymoved the roller 17 and turned the lever 18 in unison with suchmovement, as soon as the hanger passes and the rope is released, theroller 17 will be returned to its normal position by the action of acounterweight 21.

Having thus described my invention, whati l claim and desire to secureby Letters Patent is 1. The combination in an aerial transmissionapparatus, oi sections of wire cable, interposed connecting chain iinksuniting the sections, and hangers with means for detachably attachingthem to the chain links.

2. In an aerial transmission apparatus, an endless carrier comprisingwire rope or cable sections, chain links by which sections are united,hangers with means for detachably attaching them to the chain links, andmeans for attaching the load, direction sheaves around which the cablepasses, with-means for changing; the position of the sheaves to coincidewith the line of travel of the cable.

3. In an aerial transmission device, a carrier consisting of lengths ofwire rope or cable, interposed chain links uniting the ends of said ropesections, hangers detachably connected with the chain links,horizontally journaled guide sheaves around which the carrier passes,said sheaves having in connection toothed sprockets projecting beyondthe lower periphery of the sheave and adapted to engage and support thechain while the hangers are passing around the sheave.

4. In an aerial transmission apparatus, an endless carrier comprisingwire rope or cable sections and intermediate chain links, hangers orload carriers with means for detachably connecting; them to the chainlinks, direction sheaves around which the rope passes, a support uponwhich such sheaves are carried, a fixed slotted frame, means forsecuring the support to the frame and adjusting it thereon.

5. In an aerial transmission device, an endles carrier comprising wirerope sections and intermediate chain links, hangers or load carriers,with means for detachably connecting them to the chain links, horizontaland vertical sheaves around and over which the rope passes to change thedirection of travel, an adjustable support upon which said sheaves arecarried, a roller and a counterweighted lever upon the inner end ofwhich the roller is journaled contiguous to the horizontal sheave andsprocket.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

. EDWARD YOUNG KNAPP.

Witnesses CHAS. H. Ensnnn, J. E. TIERNEY.

